commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Indre
Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
,
administrative region
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
of
Centre-Val de Loire
Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. It is also referred to as ''Issoundun'', which is the ancient name.
Geography
Location
Issoudun is a sub-prefecture, located in the east of the
Indre
Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...
department. It is in the former region of
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
.
The surrounding communes are:
* Les Bordes (4 km)
* Saint-Aoustrille (5 km)
* St. Lizaigne (7 km)
* Chouday (7 km)
* Lizeray (8 km)
* Condé (8 km)
* Thizay (8 km)
* Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon (10 km)
* Saint-Ambroix (10 km)
* Saugy (10 km)
* Saint-Aubin (11 km)
* Châteauroux (27 km)
* Châtre (41 km)
* Le Blanc (79 km)
Terrain
The river of
Théols
The Théols is a river in central France.
Its source is at near Bommiers, in the Boischaut natural region.
It joins the Arnon near Lazenay.
Hydrology
The flow of the river was studied from 1971 to 1975 at Sainte-Lizaigne, located about f ...
passes through Issoudun.
The commune of Issoudun takes up an area of 36.6 km².
Transport
The
national road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...
N151 passes through the area.
The nearest airport is the Marcel Dassault Airport, 27 km away.
The Issoudun station is located at 4 Pierre Favreau boulevard, 36100.
History
Middle Ages
During the 12th and 13th century, the history of the entire province of
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
, including the Lordship of Issoudun, was marked by the
Capetian–Plantagenet rivalry
The Capetian–Plantagenet rivalry was a series of conflicts and disputes that covered a period of 100 years (1159–1259) during which the House of Capet, rulers of the Kingdom of France, fought the House of Plantagenet (also known as the ...
. In 1195,
Richard I of England
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...
defended the city from the advances of
Philip II of France
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French ...
. Two kings met in December 1195 between Issoudun and Chârost, and reached an agreement, known as the ''Treaty of Issoudun''. Around this time the beak-shaped
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
of the castle was built. By the
Treaty of Le Goulet
The Treaty of Le Goulet was signed by Kings John of England and Philip II of France in May 1200. It concerned bringing an end to the war over the Duchy of Normandy and finalising the new borders of what was left of the duchy. The treaty was a vic ...
(1200), Lords of Issoudun (french: Seigneurs d'Issoudun) returned to the suzerainty of the French Crown. The most prominent Lords of Issoudun from that period were Odo III and his son Raoul III, who was married to Margaret of Courtenay. Since Raoul III of Issoudun died (c. 1213) without direct male heirs, the Lordship was passed to several secondary heirs, through the female line of succession. First of them was William I of Chauvigny (french: Guillaume I de Chauvigny) in 1217, but final settlement was reached in 1221, after the intervention of the French Crown.
In 1499,
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...
, son of
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
, married Charlotte d'Albret, and as a dowry, was given, amongst other titles, the Lordship of Issoudun.
World War I
In 1917, the U.S. Air Service established its largest European training centre, the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center, about nine miles northwest of the town. At the time of the Armistice, 11 November 1918, thirteen fields were in operation and well over 10,000 ground personnel, student pilots and instructors were located there. It was at that time the largest air base in the world. A single monument on Department Route 960 remains to mark Issoudun's part in the
Great War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
The United States Air Service formally left Issoudun on 28 June 1919, almost eight months after the war ended. The sites of the former airfields have returned to their previous status as agricultural fields.
On 28 June 2009, the people of Issoudun had a commemoration ceremony in honour of the American aviators who had trained, and in many cases, died while training there.
Recent Events
On 14 July 2009,
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...
File:05issoudun_alliss_Volga.JPG, Volga ALLISS Module
File:06issoudun alliss Gange.JPG, Ganges ALLISS Module
File:02issoudun_feeders+rideaux.JPG, Former RFI Issoudun Relay station feeders and curtain arrays
File:01issoudun_rideaux_E.JPG, Former RFI Issoudun Relay curtain arrays (1990s)
The International broadcasting center of TDF (Télédiffusion de France) is at Issoudun/Ste Aoustrille. Issoudun is currently used by TDF for
shortwave
Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
transmissions. The site uses 12 rotary
ALLISS
ALLISS is a somewhat rotatable antenna system for high power shortwave radio broadcasting in the 6 MHz to 26 MHz range. An ALLISS module is a self-contained shortwave relay station that is used for international broadcasting.
Backgrou ...
antennas fed by 12 transmitters of 500 kW each to transmit shortwave broadcasts by Radio France International (RFI), along with other broadcast services.
In popular culture
Issoudun figures prominently in Balzac's novel A Bachelor's Establishment (also known as The Black Sheep) which the Guardian has ranked as the 12th greatest novel of all time.
Culture
Issoudun is home to the Musée de l'Hospice Saint Roch, that consistently hosts contemporary art exhibitions.
See also
*
Issoudun Aerodrome
Issoudun Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the vicinity of Issoudun, Centre, France. They were used during World War I as part of the Third Air Instructional Center, American Expeditionary Forces for training United States airmen ...